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Hundreds pack MSP to greet champion Lynx

Hundreds of people packed the baggage claim area of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Saturday afternoon to greet WNBA champions the Minnesota Lynx as they returned from Atlanta.

The Lynx completed a sweep of the Atlanta Dream Friday night in Game 3 of the WNBA finals. It was the franchise's first ever trip to the championship series.

Minnesota native and Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen said she'd dreamed about coming back to the state with a trophy since childhood. But she was still taken aback by the scene at the airport.

"It was awesome," she said. "Minnesota fans are great and come to support us and have been supporting us all season. I didn't really expect anything different, but it was such a big group of people in a small area. It was really cool."

Lynx guard and newly annointed 2011 WNBA Finals MVP Seimone Augustus said she was overwhelmed by the reception, which included Gov. Mark Dayton.

"This is crazy, crazy, and this is even more crazy," she said. "I'm just happy we're back in Minnesota with the love and support we have here. When we won the Western Conference we had fans here but not like this. This is amazing."

Lynx officials say there will be a parade on Nicollet Mall on Tuesday for the players, followed by a rally at Target Center.